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Steve Williamson, chief inspector and force lead for hate crime at Lincolnshire Police, said: "Hate crimes are now sadly very much part of day-to-day policing and spikes in offences have been seen across the country, particularly following tragic national events such as the Manchester bombing and the London Bridge attack.

"Offences have increased in Lincolnshire, albeit not at the same rate reported nationally.

What is hate crime?

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the term 'hate crime' can be used to describe a range of criminal behaviour where the perpetrator is motivated by hostility or demonstrates hostility towards the victim's disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

These aspects of a person's identity are known as 'protected characteristics'.

A hate crime can include verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, harassment, assault and bullying, as well as damage to property.

The perpetrator can also be a friend, carer or acquaintance who exploits their relationship with the victim for financial gain or some other criminal purpose.

"We have worked hard to increase our residents' confidence in our ability to investigate hate crimes, keep victims informed of our inquires and bring offenders to justice, so to see an increase in hate crimes shows that people are more aware that these are serious offences and are reporting them to us.